Lessons learned from a "cheat meal"

LisaSaysHi

Here's how to do a cheat meal -- the WRONG way!

Last Saturday I decided to take my daughter our for lunch. I was craving my favorite BBQ restaurant so I figured I would allow myself a "cheat meal". I got kind of busy running errands and whatnot, so it was close to 1:30 when we finally got to the restaurant. I was really starving by this point. (Mistake #1)

This restaurant is actually part of a chain so they do have nutritional data for their menu, but I figured I could pick some relatively healthy stuff without doing any research ahead of time. (Mistake #2) Besides, this was my cheat meal, so I gave myself permission to go a little crazy with the ordering. (Mistake #3)

After I got that "healthy" smoked turkey and pulled pork, I slathered everything with BBQ sauce. Did I realize at the time that BBQ is packed with sugar. You bet I did. Did I do it anyway? You bet I did. (Mistake #4) It was soooooo good, that I ate until my stomach cramped. (Mistake #5)

After I got home, I looked up all the calories I'd just eaten on the restaurant's web site. Holy Mother of God! That teeny little side of coleslaw and that tiny little cup of baked beans had 220 calories each! I could have eaten two Lean Cuisines for that! I had just blown almost my entire day's calories on lunch!!! Was it a mistake to look up this information? Maybe, considering its effect on my mood. Still, I dutifully logged everything into my Food Diary, thinking wistfully that they should just have a button that read, "Day Blown to Hell".

I really should have watched my eating carefully for the rest of the day and I should have gotten my carcass to the gym. But I didn't. (Mistake #6) I figured I'd already lost my chance to come ahead with my daily calories, so I used that as an excuse to raid my refrigerator and lay around watching TV. The worst part of the whole day: Completing my Food Diary entries that evening and having the site tell me that if every day were like that I'd gain a certain number of pounds. (I've already blocked this number from my memory.)

I weighed myself the next morning. It didn't make me happy, but it did motivate me to work extra hard that day and the days that followed. That's great and all, but it literally took FIVE DAYS for me to repair the damage to my weight loss progress. I think I've learned my lesson.

catherine1979

Wow that is a great reminder! My partner and I are going out for dinner on Saturday to a chain restaurant and now I will be certain to check the calories before I go!

Mrs_McFadden

LOL Restaurants are HELL on trying to figure out portions and what is acceptable to eat and turning down temptations! I am going on a vacation in a couple of weeks and I am going to have to employ all kinds of mental tricks to not overeat or go overboard on delicious food..

jenbusick

I feel your pain! We have GREAT barbecue places around here, with fantastic baked beans and cole slaw and potato salad and... it adds up FAST! And don't even THINK about getting a half-rack of ribs, sister!

*sympathies*. I just finished working off my own bad day, last Saturday, but I think yours was worse!

sbwood888

I appreciate your post. I was actually contemplating a "cheat day". Ummmm, maybe not. :noway: Thanks.

chris1132

I'm right there with you! I had a cheat meal last night - I don't even want to think how many chips I ate or the amount of fat in those sour cream enchiladas. And then of course I felt ill this morning, so I skipped my spin class. *sigh* Cheating breeds cheating! And I feel gross! SO not worth it. From now on, my cheat meals will be handled VERY differently!

cmw2011

That made me giggle. I've been there, too! Have a great day!

vayax

that's the good thing about "cheat days"... they teach you to eat better because when you realize what you have done it kills your mood at the moment but then it motivates me... my cheat days used to trow my whole week work to the trash.... now I have learned my lesson and still have cheat days... for example there is an italian restarant that I love...if I go during the week I usually have a very light arugula and pear salad with just aceto balsamico, very light for sure... it's about 250 for a huge salad... if I go during one of my cheat days I eat the lasagna I have been dreaming about but just half a portion, save the rest to go or I share the other half with my kids... that way I'm having what I reeeeally want but in moderation!

Hope you have learned your lesson!

MsSaturday

oh no! lesson learned, lol. definitely something to think about when eating out.

healthyjen342

WHEW! Lessons Learned! Very good post! And I'm glad everything worked out okay! GREAT JOB on being concerned enough to look up the calories...Its always good to be informed..

Jarmotion

Cheat days are pretty good when done right. You need to check portions, but it is a time to not be as concerned with what you are eating. The increased calories can boost your metabolism and also check any feelings of deprivation that your diet may be causing. Also they are great for training you on how you should eat once you have hit your goal and are now doing maintenance calories.

But yeah, I've done the same thing, always happens when I cook for others, I end up making a ton more food than if I were cooking for myself.

2hdesign

Excellent reminder about how mistakes can snowball together. Don't beat yourself up, just try and learn from your mistakes and move forward with confidence!

jeanine89

Ask for the box up front put half the food in it right away Eat slowly and drink water between every few bites you'll be full in no time and wont miss the other half of your meal.

jchapman1957

Thank you for the reminder of how bad eating out can be. Our Achilles heal is Mexican and those chips added up fast. My wife and I have gone to splitting meals when we go out. The problem with that is, who chooses? The benefit is that the meal ends up costing half of what it would have and you don't have leftovers to worry about. Tip: Red Robin's website is awesome for calculating nutritional value for your meal. You can pick your meal and customize each item before calculating the nutrition.

mamagooskie

I've sooooo been there. I am supposed to have a cheat night this sat. I'm going to the theater and as part of the deal they serve dinner as well (I think it's a buffet).....but I'm scared to go and eat. It takes me so long to recover from cheats now it's not even worth it.

RHOyalT

OMG! I had a day almost EXACTLY like this yesterday. I feel your pain!

MassiveDelta

Your last mistake was letting it get to you this much! Just let it go. It was supposed to relieve stress not create 5 days of extra stress. You have to know going into it that you might gain because of ti and thats OK. Let the tension surrounding cheat days go and just do them.

Dont cheat if your going to deal with a week of stress because of it. Cheat days are there for 2 reasons. 1. so that you can reward yourself for your hard work by getting to eat something that you haven't for a long time. And more importantly... 2. To help you learn how to eat Normal Cheat type things responsibly and smarter. This is a lifestyle change not a diet. So use these days to help train yourself on how to be a smarter, healthier person.

You definitely learned from your mistake but dont be so hard on yourself. OK !

You are doing great keep up the hard work!

mikeyml

I love this post! It really made me laugh and nod in agreement at the same time. I had a day similar to yours in the last week and it really got me down for about 24 hours. but I bounced back pretty quickly by eating healthy every day since. It's great to be aware of your mistakes and learn from them. Way to go!

CanuckLove

I love the "Day blown to hell button" LOL SOOOOO been there!!

FrenchMob

There`s a third reason for cheat days; it`ll revamp your metabolism from all the low cal days you`ve had. This is important to keep the weight loss going and avoiding stalls.

It`s not a cheat day if you worry about it afterwards. Also, don`t think the weight you gained the next day is fat. It`s probably 98% water weight.

dlaplume2

Yikes!!! Thanks for sharing.

freerange

LOL, love it, what a great attitude and great story. More people should read this, I hear way to much, boo whoo, I've cheated and now I'm thinking is it worth it to go on.

jdavis193

I do cheat days once a week sometimes it just maybe a turtle sundae:) or it maybe dinner and the sundae:) but you can't keep yourself from the foods you like occasionally. So don't feel bad. Just let it be maybe once a month. Your going to have ups and downs throughout the process.

helenamonks

I appreciate your post. I was actually contemplating a "cheat day". Ummmm, maybe not. :noway: Thanks.

yup. I learned my lesson on my anniversary at raising canes... never ever again. I stick to what i KNOW stays within my caloric intake.

Shirley61

Thanks for sharing this, I go through this alot
because at some point on the weekend we
eat out. Its always a balance act and then try
to log the calories when you get home is a
nightmare. I feel your pain. We do well
with our exercise and eating during the week
and then the weekend comes around and I
have to plan ahead what to eat.
Inevitably, I am up the scale the next day.
Good Luck and I am sure you taught yourself
a valuable lesson.

mummum2

Haven't had a cheat day yet, one coming up on 19/2 as it will be my son's 21st family celebration meal at an indian restaurant....looking forward to it, will enjoy it and came back the following day, not going to stress at all.:bigsmile:

QueenofCups

Button for "day blown to hell". LOL!!! Yeah, that would be helpful, huh?

McFrench

LOL!!

sbracken

This is one of the reasons I LOVE having a free day planned into my week. I don't feel any amount of guilt about all the "naughty" foods I'm shoveling into my mouth all day. Then I don't worry about the scale for the next 3-4 days knowing I'll have gained mostly water weight because of all the excess. My last free day I more than doubled my usual calorie intake...and that included 3 beers and a glass of wine, McDonald's and pepperoni pizza! Yum-O!!! The weight I gained was gone by Wed. morning...along with another 0.2lbs, and 1.4lbs the next morning because I went right back to the plan on Sunday morning. And it's easier to overcome those during-the-week temptations because I know come Saturday (Sunday this week for the Super Bowl) I can have whatever I want! And it keeps my body guessing so I don't end up reaching that dreaded plateau in my journey. The longer you're on a calorie restriction, the more likely your body will begin to adapt to taking in that lower calorie amount and your weight loss will stall.

Now, I don't think a free day is for everyone. You have to have the willpower to jump right back in the next morning and not let it snowball into a day or two or three or week food orgy that derails your progress all together and you end up quitting. And you also have to have the right mind-set so you don't feel quilty about eating all that junk.

But for me personally, I LOVE it!!!!! And I wouldn't give it up for the world.

ejsmith7

It is a great way to show yourself just how bad you used to eat. Even when you think you are going with a healthier option at a restaurant, they still seem to pack it with extra cals and sodium that you don't want. But don't sweat it, it will only serve to reinforce the positive changes you are making :happy:

AmeMahoney

I'd have to agree with mcope about letting this get to you so much. Also, I have a bit of a problem with calling things "cheat meals," or God forbid "cheat days." This just reinforces the fact that one is on a "diet" and it is all about restriction and deprivation. This is the biggest mistake of all. Learning to love healthy food (as opposed to "missing" "cheat" or "forbidden" foods) will help much more in the long run. There's no reason one can't work a sensible BarBQue meal (or any other foods) in a good eating plan every now and then.